Buffalo Bills Schedule: Breaking down 4 toughest games in 2020
By Rob Spehar
These are the four toughest games on the Buffalo Bills schedule this upcoming season.
The new NFL schedule is nearly upon us! One thing that is for sure, we already know each and every matchup that will take place during the season. But now, we will finally know WHEN all 256 games will be played. Well at least hopefully played because COVID-19 may have something to say about that. But more importantly, we will know when the Buffalo Bills will be playing their games.
There are a lot of factors that come into play when teams are getting ready for the schedule release starting with when the bye week is. Of course the middle of the season is best because it’s the perfect time for players to rest and get ready for the home stretch. Having a bye week too soon can be taxing on players during the course of a season and a team can go limping into the playoffs tired. Last season, the Bills had their bye week in Week 6.
Next, teams will look at how many times in a row they play on the road. For example, the Bucs and Raiders schedule last year both had a stretch of over 40 days between home games. That is tough for any team.
Finally, teams also want to see when they have those division games because they are key when it comes to fighting for a playoff spot or a division crown. Whether the games are played indoors, outdoors, in cold weather, or warm weather, they can all factor in how a team performs.
The Bills’ list of opponents, according to CBS Sports, will be the fifth hardest schedule next season with the Atlanta Falcons and the Detroit Lions. Their opponents winning percentage is at a solid .525. Here is a breakdown of their home and away games:
HOME: Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, and Pittsburgh Steelers
AWAY: Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, New England Patriots, Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals, and Tennessee Titans
In 2019, the Bills had the 26th hardest strength of schedule and finished the season 10-6, which was good for second place in the AFC East and the first Wild Card spot. The way the dominoes fall is out of the Bills’ hands and all they can do is go out there and do their job. They showed what they can do with whomever they come face to face with.
The NFL will start releasing schedules at 8pm EST and since the Bills’ 2020 opponents are known, we can take a quick look ahead and pick which ones could be their toughest. Here are four of the toughest games on the Buffalo Bills schedule.